Planet Pop

Agencies

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon celebrated their third anniversary with another milestone — becoming parents to a baby girl and boy.

Carey’s representative, Cindi Berger, confirmed the births. The singing superstar gave birth on Saturday at 9:07am at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles. Berger says the baby girl was born first, weighing 2.35kg, and was 45.7cm tall; her brother was next, at 2.44kg, and was 48.3cm.

Berger says the couple has not named the children yet. Cannon drove Carey to the hospital in their Rolls-Royce Phantom. Berger said the 41-year-old Carey, who had gone through false labor, was calm, thinking that it was another false alarm. The 30-year-old Cannon was so nervous he went to the wrong department at the hospital, and was guided to the maternity ward by a nurse.

“It was like right out of an I Love Lucy skit,” said Berger, referring to the 1950s TV comedy.

Berger says they were listening to Carey’s We Belong Together after the children were born.

Meanwhile, defense attorneys on Friday asked for a delay in the manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor, saying they needed more time to review new reports from prosecution witnesses.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor scheduled a hearing for today to consider the request, ahead of the planned start of opening arguments next Monday.

Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of the pop star, who died in June 2009 from an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol.

Prosecutors said on Friday they wanted to call an additional medical expert at the trial to counter what are expected to be suggestions by Murray’s defense team that the Thriller singer swallowed propofol by himself.

Murray’s lawyers argued they needed more time to prepare to cross examine the new witness.

Moving on to TV talk, Scranton regional manager Michael Scott has left The Office, as long promised, in a fond farewell for the actor who played him, series star Steve Carell.

Carell is leaving the NBC comedy after seven seasons to concentrate on films. But his character left Dunder Mifflin paper supply company after 19 rollicking, unbusiness-like years, bound for Colorado to start a new life with his fiancee, Holly.

On the episode airing on Thursday night, the show’s full cast of office workers was properly emotional at Michael’s departure. This even included Michael’s problematic successor, played by guest star Will Ferrell in the third of a four-episode story arc.

NBC has not announced who will permanently fill the large void Carell leaves in the series, which has been renewed for next season. The guessing game has been fueled by news that guest stars in this season’s remaining episodes include Jim Carrey, James Spader, Will Arnett and Ray Romano, as well as Ricky Gervais, a creator and star of the original British version.

The extended farewell episode depicted Michael’s final workday, which he spent in a bittersweet, often bumbling separation process. Michael — who is inept, inappropriate and forever seeking love and laughs from his employees — wrestled with the gravity of his decision to leave.

He was caught short by a bookkeeping question: Where did he want his last paycheck to be mailed?

“Last paycheck,” he murmured, as if the very idea were foreign to him.

In the break room, he drank in the mundane conversation between his soon-to-be-former colleagues.